


A Phone Call, a Scarf and a White Christmas

by JianNg



Category: citrus - サブロウタ | citrus - Saburouta
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Author needs help tagging, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Drama, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:47:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21938461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JianNg/pseuds/JianNg
Summary: Taniguchi Harumi took notice of a troubled girl during Christmas Eve and decided to take matters into her own hands.
Relationships: Mizusawa Matsuri/Taniguchi Harumi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 55





	1. That Good ol' Smile

“Screeeeech!”

The red Nissan screamed down the track as its driver lost control, its burning tyres leaving a trail of smoke as it slides out the track and into the gravel.

“Whaaaat!? But you were doing so well, Matsuri!”

Nene exclaimed as she peeked over Matsuri’s seat, her eyes anxiously watching the screen. Meanwhile, the player herself had had her attention diverted somewhere else.

“A phone call? You usually just ignore them, Matsuri,” Harumi commented, somewhat confused at her sudden change of behaviour. _Did her ringtone always sound like that_? Harumi thought to herself.

Harumi received no reply as Matsuri stared at her own smartphone, eyeing the name of the caller, before finally tapping the green button.

“Nene, take the wheel,” Matsuri simply said when she left to escape the noise of the arcade.

“Wha—but I never played one of these games!”

“The right pedal is the throttle; the left pedal is the brakes. Use the steering wheel to turn. Stick to third gear, I’ll be right back.”

Not all of Matsuri’s instructions got to Nene as she climbed into the player’s seat in her place. She gripped the steering wheel tightly and floored the pedal, the Nissan roared to life once again and bellowed down the track.

“Oh, you’ll be fine, Nene…” Harumi said while leaning over the player’s seat to get a better view of the game, “We’re leading by 500 metres, well, 400. You can hold it until she’s back.”

The red Nissan flew off-track again.

By the time Matsuri finally returned, Nene had lost all their lead and was still losing.

“Alright, Nene. I’m back,” Matsuri cracked her knuckles as she got ready to take over the wheel.

“Finally ready to play again? You better hurry up, or el—” Harumi didn’t get to finish her sentence as the sight of something stunned her.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Nene sighed in relief as she handed over the wheel, she had had her fill of dodging cars and sliding around corners for the day. Matsuri wasted no time getting back into the game and hunting down the leading car.

“Hey, Nene,” Harumi asked, almost whispering into Nene’s ears.

“Did you see Matsuri’s face when she returned?”

“No, why?”

“I swear…” Harumi paused, as though doubting her own words.

“...Matsuri was grinning so hard just now…”

* * *

“Wait, so you’re saying your parents will be back for Christmas!?” Yuzu practically leapt from her seat as she exclaimed.

Matsuri finally broke the news when the party was all gathered up in the school canteen. Yuzu, in particular, looked quite thrilled at the idea.

“You shouldn’t be so happy, you know. Because you won’t be able to spend Christmas with me.”

“Who do you even think you are…” Harumi commented, _so that’s why she was grinning ear-to-ear that day_.

“It’s great that they’ve finally found time this year, do they have anything planned?”

“Nothing in particular, but they did say…”

Harumi couldn’t help but take notice of the change in Matsuri since the day she received the phone call. She’s still a brat, but just ever so slightly, she’s less of a brat than before. Harumi felt an amused smile creeping up on her face as she observed the younger girl happily chatting away. She never thought Matsuri had the muscles to make that kind of smile.

* * *

“Do you have any plans next week? I’m thinking about watching this movie…”

Harumi was spending her Christmas Eve with Yuzu and Matsuri. Usually, Harumi would be rather disappointed whenever she finds out that Matsuri would be tagging along, but this time, she didn’t really mind. They were just about to finish their lunch at a McDonald’s when Matsuri excused herself to go to the restroom.

“I’ve looked at the reviews and it’s really highly rated. It'll be fun for all of us to go there.”

“Really? Let me have a look.”

Harumi leaned forward to get a better look, her right hand extending forward to support her body.

**Squelch!**

A moment of carelessness had caused Harumi to sink her thumb directly into a ramekin full of sauce.

“Whoa, damn it!”

Harumi recoiled at the feeling of the cold and sticky liquid covering her thumb, her face plastered with disgust.

“I’ll go wash my hands real quick, I’ll look at it later.”

“Alright.”

Harumi headed to the nearest sink and started washing off the sauce, it was then when she heard a familiar sound coming from the nearby restroom.

“Huh?”

Harumi leaned in closer, _isn’t that Matsuri’s ringtone_?

“Hello?”

Matsuri’s own voice followed soon after.

Harumi usually doesn’t eavesdrop on others like that, but curiosity got the better of her as she nearly stuck her head to the door to listen. _This is the same ringtone I heard back in the arcade a few days ago._

Harumi couldn’t hear Matsuri’s conversation very well as there was a door separating them, but some bits did manage to get through to her.

“…yeah…oh, so…okay…”

“… **it’s fine, I understand** …”

Harumi nearly recoiled from shock upon hearing those words, something was wrong in Matsuri’s voice. _No way_ , Harumi thought, _there’s no way she is “fine”, not when her voice is like this_.

Harumi wanted to push open the door, to confront Matsuri, to ask her what happened, what's the matter? But her hand froze, she couldn't muster up the courage. As per usual, Harumi was held hostage by her own neutrality.

Feeling defeated, Harumi returned shortly after rinsing her hands, lest Yuzu came searching for her. Harumi didn't say anything to Yuzu, instead, she wasted no time in discussing the movie, in an attempt to put it all behind her, to forget she ever heard anything.

It wasn't long before a certain pink-haired girl emerged from the restroom.

"Oh, welcome back Matsuri, we almost went looking for you, " Yuzu greeted her as soon as she was within earshot, "we were just thinking about watching this movie sometime next week, would you like to come along?"

Harumi turned to look at Matsuri, silently observing the younger girl, searching for any differences from the last time she saw her.

"Oh?"

Matsuri smirked.

"Is this one of **those** movies again, Yuzu-chan?"

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, it's still the same cheeky smirk, the same sly and foxy expression, the same Matsuri.

No.

The girl that stood before them was **not** the same Matsuri. Harumi just knew it.

Was it the slight change in her tone? Was it the shift in her body language? Or was it the different look in her eyes? Harumi wasn't sure, she didn't know. What she did know is that Matsuri's usual suit of armour had crumbled, her mask shattered. Hiding behind her smile was a girl beaten black and blue.

Perhaps too immersed in planning their movie next week, Yuzu didn't seem to notice anything. Yet, Harumi couldn't get herself to take the initiative.

They left soon afterwards as Yuzu had to return home early for her Christmas party, Matsuri separated from the duo to return to her own home.

"Yuzucchi…"

"Yeah?"

"Did you notice…" Harumi paused, contemplating her own words.

"...anything different with Matsuri?"

"Oh? Yeah, she looks rather happy these days!"

Harumi almost sighed when she realised she was the only one that saw through Matsuri's cover.

"But it's kind of expected, you know. She finally gets to spend Christmas with her family, I'm happy for her too!" Yuzu continued.

"Were her parents always away during Christmas?" Harumi asked, secretly eager to learn more about this girl.

"Yep, they are both working parents, and very hardworking ones at that. They would spend all their time from dawn till dusk at work, even on holidays, so Matsuri would be all alone."

Harumi listened quietly as she started to put the puzzle pieces together in her head.

"Not many people know this, but…" Yuzu trailed off, "...Matsuri actually really yearns for a family she can come home to."

Harumi stared ahead and kept walking.

"We were so close back then, mama would consider her a part of the family, and when Matsuri heard that—she looked the happiest I've ever seen her."

Harumi still didn't utter a word.

"Which is why I think she caused us so much trouble when she found out Mei became my stepsister, did you know that? But I don't really blame her for it, she was most likely afraid. Afraid of being replaced, and afraid of losing this make-believe family…"

Yuzu trailed off again.

"...afraid of being all alone again, when everyone else had warm dinner waiting at home and a family to talk and laugh with."

Both of them fell silent that time. They just continued on their journey home, their hands stuffed in their pockets to shield them from the growing cold.

"W—which is why I think it's really good for Matsuri because her parents will finally be at home during Christmas!"

Yuzu blurted out, in an attempt to lighten up the mood.

"At the end of the day, a makeshift family still couldn't compare with her actual family, so that's why she looked so happy these days."

"Yuzucchi, where did Matsuri usually spend her Christmas before she met you?" Harumi said after her long silence.

"Well, I'm not very sure. But when I first called out to her on Christmas, she was playing by herself at the park."

"I see…"

Harumi had completed the puzzle, she had stood back and seen the picture. If she wants to act, the time is now.

"...I think I know what to do."

"Eh?"

Harumi stopped abruptly and turned around the way she came.

"Sorry, Yuzucchi. But I just remembered that I have an errand to run. You can go without me."

"Hey, what's that about knowing what to do!?"

Harumi didn't answer as she walked towards the direction of the mall.

_I think I saw something that might just work…_

* * *

Harumi rubbed her hands together, her breath condensing into visible mist as they hit the cold, evening air. Snowflakes had already begun to gently fall from the sky; soon, there would be enough of them blanketing the ground to crunch under a pedestrian’s foot.

The clicks of Harumi’s boots were the sole sound in the otherwise silent street, the soft glow of street lights grew brighter as the sky gradually dims. There’s not much snow on the ground yet, but one can still make out the faint outline of someone’s footprint if they squint hard enough.

Harumi spied one set leading into the park.

Standing at the entrance to the park, Harumi scanned the area for a familiar person.

There she is, sitting on a swing.

The sole pink in a world of grey and white; unmistakable.

Harumi quietly approached Matsuri, the younger girl noticed her presence and lazily looked her way.

“Taniguchi-senpai.” Matsuri greeted, listlessly. She didn’t even bother with a fake smile.

“Matsuri—I thought you’d be with your family.”

“Oh—they called it off earlier today.”

Harumi silently cursed herself, _why did I ask a question I already know the answer for?_

Before Harumi could think of a reply, Matsuri began speaking, her eyes staring at an invisible object a thousand yards away.

“It wasn’t the first time, you know…” Matsuri had lost all her spirit in her speech, it almost sounded like something ringing out of a dried-up well—utterly empty.

“…they’ve done this for—countless times. Saying they’ll be back for an event or another, then call it off at the last minute due to some—“unexpected circumstances”. That’s the one thing they’re good at, making promises that are empty, and writing cheques they knew they don’t have the funds for.”

She let out a sound that almost sounded like a chuckle.

“And yet…”

A pause.

“…and yet I still bought their bullshit. Every single time. Without fail. In blind hope that—perhaps one day, one of their promises aren’t empty, and one of their cheques aren’t dishonoured. I just never learn, do I?”

Harumi just listened; it was a miracle that Matsuri managed to hold herself up. She sounded like she’ll burst into tears at any moment. Clearing her throat, Harumi spoke up.

“Well—I know this won’t be enough to replace your parents, but…”

Matsuri could barely react when she felt something warm wrap around her neck. For an instant, Matsuri was breathing the cold, crisp evening air; and the next, she was breathing into the scent of Harumi’s shampoo. Silently, gingerly, she returned the hug with a pair of quivering hands.

Neither said anything as they stayed there, covering each other in their warmth. After what felt like ages, Harumi finally broke the hug, and she left something behind.

It was a scarf, pink with white stripes running its full length, and a little too long for Matsuri.

“I saw this while we were at the mall, I’ve never seen you wear a scarf before, and I thought it suits you.” Harumi said while wrapping it around Matsuri’s neck, “there, think of it as a Christmas present from me. Merry Christmas, Matsuri.”

Matsuri still looked like she was about to burst into tears, but for all the right reasons.

“No, it’s enough…” Matsuri spoke with a voice barely louder than the falling snow.

“Taniguchi-senpai—thank you.”

This time, Harumi heard it loud and clear, “don’t mention it,” Harumi patted Matsuri’s head as she said. _There we go, there’s that good ol’ smile again_.

“But senpai, I don’t have anything to give back to you…”

 _Uh-oh_.

Harumi jumped a little when Matsuri suddenly stood and grabbed Harumi’s shoulders, the smaller girl pressing her own body into her senior.

“How about I wrap myself up in ribbons and gift myself to you?”

 _Damn it, now she’s all the way back_.

Harumi tried to pry the smaller girl away.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, brat. I don’t want your presents, and I don’t want you either.”

With a few forceful shoves, Harumi finally got her junior to let go, but Matsuri ended up pulling Harumi into another hug. With a muffled voice, Matsuri spoke, her face firmly pressed against Harumi’s chest.

“Thank you, Taniguchi-senpai.”

Harumi let out a sigh and a defeated smile, and instead of pushing Matsuri away, she accepted her embrace.

“Like I said, don’t mention it.”


	2. The Warmest Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A retelling of the first chapter, with a slight change of perspective.

Matsuri hated the cold. Whenever there was a white Christmas, she would groan and curse the heavens. At least, she liked to think it was because of the cold.

It came as a shock to Matsuri when she heard the special ringtone she assigned for when one of her parents called, so much so that she crashed her car for the first time in an arcade game. She hesitated to answer the call, but answer it she did, hoping for the best yet expecting the worst.

“Matsuri, what would you like for Christmas Dinner?”

“Christmas Dinner? What do you mean?”

“Well, you see. Mom and I think we can spare some time and come home for Christmas, so we decided we would give you whatever you want for Christmas, as a treat.”

That’s all Matsuri needed to hear, she didn’t care if she ended up eating plain rice balls for Christmas Dinner, she didn’t care if she ended up receiving no Christmas presents, she didn’t even care about the Christmas being white. The offer to spend Christmas together was enough.

“I’ll think about it, thank you.”

“Alright, let us know as soon as possible. We love you Matsuri.”

“I love you too.”

* * *

It was as though the heavens themselves were in Matsuri’s favour, everything went her way, everyone seemed to like her more, and Harumi was tolerating her antics a lot more. Her day couldn’t have been better.

Matsuri was humming a Christmas song that was playing over and over again in the mall as she washed her hands in the restroom, thinking about her plans for next week. She was almost done when her smartphone vibrated in her pocket, the chimes of its ringtone overpowering the sound of flowing water.

Matsuri froze.

It was her parents.

The sound of flowing water had ceased, but the phone rang on. Logic would dictate that Matsuri would be happy to hear from her parents again, but it sent a chill straight down the girl’s spine instead. Matsuri felt like the protagonist in a horror movie, faced with a cursed phone call from the afterlife. She felt like accepting that call would bring disaster; she felt impending doom waiting for her, disguised as a cheerful tune.

She answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Matsuri? Umm, how do I say this…”

Matsuri gulped.

“We can’t make it back for Christmas, due to some unexpected circumstances.”

Silence followed immediately afterwards, or rather, Matsuri didn’t care to hear what her parents had to say, what kind of excuses they would give this time, or what compensation they would offer. Matsuri was on autopilot for the remainder of the call, she answered without hearing the question, and she agreed without knowing the proposal.

“…okay…”

No, it is not okay.

“…it’s fine…”

No, it is not fine.

“…I understand…”

No.

She did **not** understand.

By the time Matsuri came to, the phone had long since fell silent.

“Oh, welcome back, Matsuri, we almost went looking for you.”

Matsuri blinked, she hadn’t thought of what to say when she returned to her friends. Should she tell Yuzu about what happened? If she did, Yuzu would surely ask her to spend Christmas with her mother and Mei, would it be right to trouble them like that?

“We were just thinking about watching this movie sometime next week, would you like to come along?”

 _No_ , Matsuri thought. _I’m just going to keep it all to myself, like I always did._

“Oh?”

Matsuri tried her best to don her usual facade, hiding behind her trusty mask.

"Is this one of **those** movies again, Yuzu-chan?" 

Perhaps it was due to a secret hope—a hope that Matsuri herself wasn’t aware of, a hope that Yuzu would notice something—Matsuri left a crack in her mask. But alas, Yuzu didn’t seem to notice anything.

* * *

Everything else was cloudy afterwards, the only thing Matsuri knew was that she was walking. Where to? She didn’t know. What for? She didn’t know that either.

By the time Matsuri stopped her footsteps, the sun had passed its light to the moon, and it glistened off the soft blanket of snow beneath her.

Matsuri quitted watching the ground and looked up to see her destination. It was the park. _Déjà vu_ , she thought.

She entered the park without a word, walked to the nearby swing, and sat. She did so without hesitation, or a pause for thought, as though she had done it many, many times before. She sat on the swing, both hands gripping the cold chains. She didn’t take out her phone, nor did she attempt to swing. Matsuri sat there like a statue, watching the condensation of her own breath; perhaps afraid that she might break apart and collapse if she moved another inch.

Some time had passed, maybe a few minutes, maybe a few hours, or maybe just ten seconds. Matsuri felt another person in the park, approaching her.

“Taniguchi-senpai.” For a second, Matsuri wasn’t sure if that’s her own voice.

“Matsuri—I thought you’d be with your family.”

Matsuri was just about to come up with a convenient lie, something she was good at, and something she had done countless times before.

“Oh—they called it off earlier today.”

It was as though Matsuri’s tongue grew a brain of its own, it just went and spat out the truth. _What the hell_ , Matsuri thought, _I didn’t want to say that…I didn’t want to…_

Even then, Matsuri was still desperately trying to lie, even if it’s to herself. She **did** want to tell the truth; she **did** want to spill all her woes and emotions right then and there. So much so that she couldn’t hold herself back anymore, so much so that she didn’t even care if she did it right in front of Harumi—the last person she would show weakness to.

Before she knew it, the tales came rolling out on its own.

For each word she said, Matsuri felt tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill out.

Never had Matsuri’s emotions swell up as such, they had grown so big and so fierce, banging and scratching at the door to escape her. Matsuri tried in desperation to contain them, putting all her weight and energy in keeping the door shut.

She was racked with agony for the rest of her speech, fighting a losing battle against herself, pushing her emotions back with all her might. Like a dam facing off against an unprecedented typhoon, a leak—no matter how small—would result in a flood of such magnitude, it would leave anything it passes in ruins.

It was the longest speech Matsuri had ever had.

The moment Matsuri stopped talking, she felt herself losing ground. She couldn’t hold it back anymore, she can no longer fight back her tears, her emotions. The dam was about to burst.

Warmth.

It was the first thing that Matsuri felt after she stopped talking. Harumi’s arms were around her neck, her shoulder gently supporting the smaller girl’s chin. In an instant, Matsuri’s overflowing tears were halted. She had no idea how warm someone’s hug could be. Harumi alone had fought off the winter cold.

Shakily, she returned Harumi’s hug. Her hands softly rubbing the larger girl’s back, the pain from gripping the swing’s chains too tightly finally got to her.

_Damn…_

_Why do I still want to cry?_

Eventually, Harumi broke the hug. But the warmth remained.

Matsuri noticed the fabric around her neck in no time. The brightly coloured scarf stood out against her red jacket and blue shirt.

“I saw this while we were at the mall, I’ve never seen you wear a scarf before, and I thought it suits you.”

Matsuri couldn’t reply as she let Harumi wrap the scarf around her neck, the soft fabric did its job immediately and formed a shield against the cold, warming up Matsuri’s otherwise bare neck. Well, not just Matsuri’s neck.

Another emotion came knocking at the door, but Matsuri no longer tried to stop it. Instead, she let it spill, like the first rays of sunshine after the storm.

“Taniguchi-senpai—thank you.”

* * *

Matsuri hated the cold. Whenever there was a white Christmas, she would groan and curse the heavens. But Matsuri might not do that this year, for it was her warmest Christmas yet.

**Author's Note:**

> I had thought of this a few days ago and had to rush it to complete it in time for Christmas. Nonetheless, I'm quite happy about how this turned out in the end. I hope this work can make your Christmas a little bit better, Merry Christmas.
> 
> P.S. The author definitely did NOT read the entire manga again just to see if Matsuri ever wore a scarf.


End file.
